2023 Christmas Services at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine

December 24 & 25, 2023

Cathedral of St. John the Divine, 1047 Amsterdam Avenue (at 112th Street)

Merry Christmas! The Cathedral of St. John the Divine celebrates the Nativity with festive holiday services on Sunday, December 24 at 10:30 am, 4 pm and 10:30 pm and Monday, December 25 at 10:30 am at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, 1047 Amsterdam Avenue (at 112th Street).

Christmas Eve begins with the Cathedral’s 10:30 am Holy Eucharist service celebrating Advent IV. In the afternoon, the Christmas festivities continue with a service of Lessons and Carols at 4 pm. A recent but now classical element of Anglican liturgy, Lessons and Carols was first instituted for Christmas Eve 1880 at the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Truro, and has been a beloved part of the Cathedral’s Christmas Eve offerings for many years. This year’s service features the Cathedral Choristers (grades 4-8) along with the trebles of the Cathedral Choir, organ, and harp, with the music of Benjamin Britten, John Rutter, Elizabeth Poston and more illuminating the Christmas narrative of the Lessons. The musical prelude begins at 3:45 pm. 

The Cathedral’s Christmas Eve Festal Eucharist, offered at 10:30 pm with prelude music beginning at 10 pm, is a joyous celebration of the birth of the Light. The Right Reverend Andrew ML Dietche, Bishop of New York, and The Very Reverend Patrick Malloy, Dean of the Cathedral, will welcome congregants from near and far in the spirit of the Christmas season. The combined Cathedral Choirs join with orchestra and organ for this Christ Mass with music of Amy Beach, J.S. Bach, W.A. Mozart and Adolph Adam’s timeless Cantique de Noël.

Christmas Day is celebrated with a 10:30 am Holy Eucharist service in the Cathedral. The Cathedral Choir sings music of Tasmin Jones, Corelli and Victoria with Artist-in-Residence Paul Winter performing; the Dean of the Cathedral presides.

All of the Cathedral’s Christmas services will be held both in person and available to livestream on the Cathedral’s website, Facebook page, and YouTube channel. For more information on Christmas services at the Cathedral, visit the Cathedral’s website.

About The Cathedral

Over one hundred years ago, the trustees of the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine conceived its mission to be a house of prayer for all people, an instrument of church unity, and a center of intellectual light and leading in the spirit of Jesus Christ. 

Today, as the mother church of the Episcopal Diocese of New York and the seat of its bishop, the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine serves the many diverse people of our diocese, city, nation and world through the worship of God; pastoral, educational and community outreach activities; cultural and civic events; international ecumenical initiatives; and the preservation of the great architectural and historic site that is its legacy.